No. 19 James Madison Blanks the Blue Hens in Second Half

HARRISONBURG, Va., April 5, 2013 -- No. 19 James Madison held Delaware scoreless in the second half en route to an 8-4 win in Colonial Athletic Association action Friday evening at University Park.

JMU improved to 7-4 overall and 2-0 in league play. Delaware is 6-5 overall and 0-2 against CAA teams.

The Dukes outscored the Blue Hens 4-0 in the second half, breaking a 4-4 halftime tie by tallying four goals on only five shots in the period. Delaware had seven attempts to score in the second period, but JMU sophomore goalkeeper Schylar Healy (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty) turned away five of them. One Blue Hen second-half shot hit the post, and another was wide of the mark.

JMU sophomore Steph Finley (Media, Pa./Sacred Heart) tallied JMU's first goal of the second period, on a free-position attempt just 2:32 into the half. Redshirt senior Casey Ancarrow (Jarrettsville, Md./John Carroll) fired a shot into the goal with 11:27 left to push the Dukes' advantage to 6-4.

After Delaware controlled the ensuing draw, Healy made a stop on a shot by sophomore Caitlin McCartney (Doylestown, Pa./Archbishop Wood) with 10:46 left. JMU gained possession but lost the ball seconds later. However, several minutes later Dukes sophomore Hannah Verschoore (Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) caused a turnover, giving JMU the ball with 6:19 to play.

JMU maintained possession and did not take a shot until junior Amy Roguski (Sykesville, Md./Liberty) sent the ball past Blue Hen sophomore goalkeeper Alex Zaugra (Medford Lakes, N.J./Shawnee) with 25 seconds to play. Then senior Nicole Stiles (Mooresville, N.C./Lake Norman) controlled the draw and scored the final goal with just three seconds on the clock.

JMU got balanced scoring, with freshman Jaci Gordon (Groton, Mass./Lawrence Academy) scoring twice and six other Dukes netting a single goal. Delaware's four scores came from four players.

In the opening half, JMU scored three times in the first eight minutes, getting goals from redshirt senior Rebecca McLouth (Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore) just 27 seconds into the game and another from sophomore Ali Curwin (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Sutherland) 6:45 into the match. The third goal came from Gordon 7:54 into the game.

Delaware junior Chelsea Fay (West Chester, Pa./Villa Maria) got the Blue Hens on the scoreboard 9:45 into the match, but a Gordon goal 15:56 in put the Dukes again up by three, 4-1.

However, Delaware scored three times in the final 12:38 while holding JMU scoreless to send the game into intermission tied at 4. Junior Shannon Burns (Springfield, Pa./Springfield Delco) scored off a pass from McCartney at 12:38, then McCartney scored an unassisted goal with 5:16 remaining. Freshman McKenzie Rafferty (Chester Springs, Pa./Downingtown East) netted the tying goal with 2:47 left in the half.

JMU senior Amanda Mathews (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) had a game-high four ground balls, and senior Kelsey MacDonald (Glyndon, Md./Bryn Mawr) and Healy each finished with three ground balls. Stiles led all players with four draw controls, and Curwin led JMU with two caused turnovers.

For the game, Delaware outshot JMU 18-13, but JMU held the edge on draw controls, 7-6. Healy had 10 saves to record double-digit stops for the fifth time this season. Zaugra finished with four saves.

Next up for the Dukes in Towson, as the Tigers visit University Park for a 1:00 p.m. game on April 7. The game will be a rematch of the last two CAA title games. Towson won the 2012 CAA title while JMU claimed the 2011 league championship.